Velan and Inete [botting Velan at player's request]:
Velanturns to Inete. "The sinkhole is rough but survivable. We cannot risk staying up here alone. We have to try to jump."
As if trying to confirm the immediacy of Velan'sconcerns, there is a snarl and a roar from off in the jungle, loud even over the storm. A tree shakes at the edge of your vision and Ninlil reports to Velanthat there are two huge creatures now, brawling and heading your direction.
Inetenods, fear in her eyes, and the two of them climb down to the lower level of the sinkhole, and jump.
Velan DEX save: 19
Inete DEX save: 2
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
The trip down the sinkhole is violent and unsettling. Pressure changes threaten to fill your mouth and ears with mud, and you are smashed against hard objects until you are spilled out onto the hard ground of the lower chamber alongside Danica. Velan manages to brace himself for the impact hitting the rock in a tucked roll and taking 7bludgeoning damage. Inete comes out in a heap, dashing her head against the stone floor violently.
Time dilates, as Velan manipulates the weave to give Inete another chance. She fares little better this time, as she spills out roughly on the ground... though at least this time she may have avoided a skull fracture. She is nevertheless badly hurt and unconscious.
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Hewis taciturn. "No. I'm not familiar with any of this. (cough) It looks ancient. I'm not nearly that old."
Ran, you pick up the boomerang. It is well balanced and cuts through the air as you move it this way and that. Moving to the bottle, it feels empty and you cannot hear anything inside when you shake it.
Mica only:
Something seems wrong with Hew. He looks like he is struggling to hide the fact that he is shivering and unsteady on his feet.
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
"Sounds empty, but yeah, guess we should let Velan have a look first," Ran says. Then he tosses the boomerang up in the air and catches it. "Whether this is special or not, it's a good weapon."
He holds it out for the others.
"Want to give it a go? Might really set off the cloak and mask."
"You did not feel anything?" Meili glanced at Mica, waiting for him to check the thing out.
Should he hesitate, reached out to take the boomerang. Ran was right the first time about the mask and the cloak, it all could be a set after all. "Strange... We did play with similar things back home. It can hurt, but nothing like a sword or a spear. To think this can be a powerful weapon... is interesting." She went silent, getting a feeling of the weapon.
(The above happens only if Mica refuses to take the boomerang)
Danica is pacing back and forth, hands twisting and worrying at the rope, waiting for a reply from Velan before she hears a shift in the downpour and sinkhole above. Looking up, the elf's eyes widen as suddenly the blue and brown form of a half orc rolls out and then a mud covered human falls limply on the stone. Seeing that woman wasn't moving, Danica immediately leaps forward shifting into her Starry Form, the constellation of a Chalice shining at her core. Kneeling at Inete's body, she immediately begins casting the most powerful Cure Wounds that she knew on her before looking to the wizard. "Talk to me Velan, are you okay? Anything broken that needs healing?" And when she looks at him, a strange flash of starlight transfers over to him as well.
Examining the boomerang, both Mica and Meili get the impression it is a fine, precision weapon. Meili, there is no similar instant attachment to the item as there was with the cloak and mask. Likewise, the stoppered flask feels special but is otherwise unidentifiable to you. Perhaps with more time you might be able to familiarize yourselves with these items.
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Bathed in Danica's healing starlight, Inete snaps awake and sits up. She looks over into the abyss that looks next to the rocky ledge and startles, scooting back until she is alongside the shaped stone wall. She clutches her head as she squints around in the dark. Eventually coming to her senses enough to recognize she was healed, she nods at Danica. "Thank you. Do... do you know where we are? What is this place? Where are the others?"
Back on the surface, Ninlil is at the very limit of his range from Velan. Velan receives intermittent connections and updates. Apparently the battle between the two titans is still raging in the jungle above your heads.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Mica gives Hew a sideways look, clearly not buying his answer but does not press the old guide any further. This time.
He takes the boomerang from Ran and turns it over in his hand briefly, testing the weight and feel of the weapon. “The Cap’n would like the moons on this, she is always looking at the stars” He gives it a few swings before handing it over to Meili “You try it too, Ran is right, it may be part of the set.” He looks around at the others “We need to get Hew out of here, he is a might jumpy, and we need to make our way back to the surface."
Meili accepted the weapon, standing very still for a few moments, but then shook her head, looking both disappointed and relieved. It seemed scary dangerous exciting wonders stopped happening, at least for now. "I don't feel anything. Maybe Velan could say more or maybe one should use the weapon or the bottle to discover their powers."
She tucked the boomerang behind the belt and put the bottle in the backpack. Looked at Hew, then nodded to Mica's words. "Let's return to the opening and check the other direction."
There also was a hope that Ninlil made it to the "chamber" (Meili did not say it out loud but intended to check). For now, she just gave her torch to Hew - the guide could see but looked as if he could use something to hold on - and moved back to the hole in the stone wall.
The grave-borrowing portion of the team heads back down the hall in the opposite direction with Hew leading the way. When they reach the breach in the wall where it opens into the sinkhole cavity, they spot Danica, Velan and Inete!
[Reunited! No more spoilers!]
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Meili was so happy to see the others sane and sound, she almost jumped out of the hole in the wall. At the last moment the mask and the cloak - quite an addition to her usual light clothes - got in the way, reminding the girl how she looked right now and Meili had to step aside to take her new outfit off. Then she finally emerged from the darkness of the corridor.
"Thank gods! Are you Ok?" She quickly looked them all over and relaxed a bit, not finding open wounds. "How did you get here? Was there the second collapse?" She listened to the explanation intently and then related their story.
"We did not find the exit yet. But we found something strange here. Some ancient ruins, protected by the people - the ghosts of the people! - who were fighting undead centuries before. The things they showed me,"she shuddered remembering the visions, "it was the horror similar to what we have now - necromancy, witches, hoards of undead... They left us a gift, those warriors. Here, look."
The magical items were now shown to others. Meili explained the sudden bonding with her for the cloak and the mask (the abilities Meili felt were mentioned, of course) and the unresponsiveness of the carved boomerang and the corked bottle. "There is a hope we can awake both once we meet undead and try to use it on them. Or maybe Velan can sense something right now?" She looked at Velan hopefully. It was probably a bad time to do such things - the group was buried under rocks and mud, with far more pressing issues than magic identification but she can not let go of such a recent excitement.
Normally he would have given Inete time to make her own decision, but all the risks made him believe Danica suggestion was in fact the best. With this in mind the wizard hurried the acolyte to jump. Mud swallowed their bodies as soon as their feet reached the sink hole, carrying stone and driftwood with them and towards them – or at least Velan thought that was the identity of the solid hitting them. He fell in a tucked roll and saw Zitembe’s granddaughter dashing her head against stone. Without hesitation the Chronurgist expanded his senses, first to the Weave, then to time itself. He reached beyond what was, focused on what could be, bending both into changing reality ever so slightly. It was not enough to save his fellow arcanist, she was still unconscious at the end of the ordeal, but her wound was substantially better.
Danica was alert and before he could call for healing on the follower of Savras, the Druid was already treating her. The hexblood was confused when asked if he was well. In combination of adrenaline and worry he didn’t even notice his own wounds.
“Besides the mud and dirt and thanks to you, I am unhurt now.” He assures Danica, rising to his feet seconds before the other half of their party appears. Meili words bring more than a few questions to his mind. “No second collapse. We were searching for you guys when a pair of huge beasts started to move in your direction.” He turned to druid. “They are two now.” He then reached to Ninlil, asking what she could see. “Danica came here with a rope so this may be our way out. I can try to identify the items if we can stay put for ten minutes.” Velan was relieved to see everyone alive. “What they showed… Was there anything about the place where we need to go?”
Meili did her best to explain everything the group had encountered. Not that she was afraid to forget it any time soon, but the details could still be important for the potential encounters in the other half of the ruins.
"We found a door with a figure on it that looked like this," Meili put on the cloak and mask again. "Looks a bit... overwhelming,"she tried not to turn to Hew who was clearly uneasy with the whole ordeal, "and yet, we all felt some benign ... I do not know how to explain, connection? That being was seen as a protector for the healers and medicine folk of this land. I do not know how I knew it but I did. Later we found the room with the sarcophagus in it and the apparition, looking again like this, that ... welcomed us to come closer." Meili was stumbling over the words unsure how to explain that "know for sure without any understanding how". "I followed the invitation,"she looked apologetically and sighed. "It felt like the right thing to do."
She could not bring herself to describe the test of mind she had to endure but tried to remember the exact words spoken to her and still burning in her mind. "It is no accident... Our mantle must pass... Darkness rises... Light is extinguished... We must hunt death in the dark... Teach death to fear again... The path is gruelling."Mieli paused and then slowly continued, remembering. "He... the one who spoke first, he was a warrior, a hunter, devoted to the cause - to hunt the undead and the creatures of the night in their own element. To sow fear among the servants of death itself. I was shown who they were fighting with as well. Serpent men with poisonous spears, shadow monsters, and dead sorcerers spreading death magic across the land and raising armies of all kinds of undead."
"Then he left and the alcove with those items opened up. I think it was meant for us to take to continue the fight."
It felt good to fully share the story and let those more knowledgeable think it all over. Meili gave Velan the boomerang and the bottle, tightened the cloak around her and waited (quite curiously) for the items to be identified.
Helping Inete to her feet and attempting to brush some of the mud off, Danica glances over to Velan at his answer and nods, feeling a tad more reassured, if confused. "Thanks to me?" Looking back at the other caster, the elf shook her head, "I've no-"
When suddenly the rest of the Seekers found them. Standing, still in her Starry Form, Danica smiled in relief in seeing them all, but immediately began looking them over, making sure that they weren't injured enough to warrant healing. "Aren't you all a sight for sore eyes."Her own eyes glowing with starlight. (Medicine/Perception:18)
Velan explained for them though and she frowned, glancing upwards as he mentioned two beasts up above now. "We tied two fifty feet lengths of rope together and then tied the end of one rope off on a stable looking tree so should be able to climb back up, though the mud will make it challenging. You couldn't find any other way out the way you had gone?" Gesturing to the hole they had came back through before frowning as Meili answered and then explained what their group had found.
Even with her odd star themed form, one could register the surprise and intrigue on Danica's expression upon hearing what they had encountered and found. "That sounds like it was incredibly risky and dangerous but also rewarding."Resting a hand on Meili's shoulder the elf said with a sigh, "Just glad you're in one piece and don't seem possessed or anything. So far."She shrugged and it was hard to tell if she was joking or not but she did give a questioning glance towards Mica and Ran.
"It doesn't sound like an easy thing, to make death afraid. This hunter expects you personally to be able to do this?"Looking over the other woman in her new garb. "Not that I don't think you're capable, just a bit worried if you got yourself involved in some sort of deal or contract or curse, y'know?" Having heard tales of the Fey before and unsure if other other-worldly creatures had such strange capabilities.
Meili caught Danica's side look and nodded slowly. Then energetically shook her head and took off the mask. "No. There was no deal or contract." She looked every bit like herself (plus a good deal of blood and mud, but they were covering everyone here), with her usual serious expression if with a clear addition of worry now. "I hear your words and understand your concerns, I would worry too. I think. Yes, I was alone in that chamber with the ghosts but it was not a possession either. I know that they have left to finally get their rest." She pressed her hands to her chest pleadingly, still clutching the mask. "I can not prove it but I am sure those things are not cursed either and were the honest gift to us all."
She turned to others. "We all felt it, did we not? As if the warrior on the door was talking to us. Ran, Hew, Mica? You did feel it!" Meili looked at everyone and then lowered her head. "They were not with me there, though. And these two things - the cloak that lets the owner fly sometimes in the darkness and the mask that allows seeing in darkness too - those two things sort of recognized me right away. Not the weapon, however. Or the bottle."She looked up again and repeated confidently. "I am not possessed and I do believe it was the gift, not the curse."
"I haven't the foggiest idea what was in that room, but there was something and it felt like any other judgmental tosser who comes down and slums it in the Dock Ward." Ran says. "I think it just too a shine to Meili."
He then looks back into the cave.
"We only checked out the one direction. There's another tunnel we can check to see if it leads up."
Listening to Meili'sdetailed description of the carvings, the apparition and her visions, Inetespeaks up. "I know this story. You describe Krer N'busa - the king of twilight. It's an old legend. Krer N'busa was said to be a child born of wealth and privilege... a prince in some tales. But he gave up his titles and spent his wealth hiring tutors to teach him magic and to train him to fight. He became a hunter of vampires and other undead monsters... guides and merchants who traveled the hidden roads of the deep jungle were said to leave offerings in his name."
"Long before the traitor Ras Nsi raised his legions of undead and polluted the forest with wights and zombies, Chult in the ancient times was said to have had problems with blood cults ruled by vampires. That you seldom hear of such vampires today is said to be a testament to the work done by Krer N'busa."
"Scholars have questioned whether this had any basis in real history... there is no missing prince or royal who would fit the tale's protagonist. Many assumed it was just an old legend, or perhaps all that remains of the gospels of a half-forgotten god or demigod."
While the others catch up and listen to Meiliand Ineterecount history, old and new, Velansets down to ritually identify the items acquired by the other Seekers. After 20 minutes he has successfully identified the bottle and the boomerang.
Bottle:
Eversmoking Bottle
Wondrous Item, uncommon
Smoke leaks from the lead-stoppered mouth of this brass bottle, which weighs 1 pound. When you use an action to remove the stopper, a cloud of thick smoke pours out in a 60-foot radius from the bottle. The cloud's area is heavily obscured. Each minute the bottle remains open and within the cloud, the radius increases by 10 feet until it reaches its maximum radius of 120 feet.
The cloud persists as long as the bottle is open. Closing the bottle requires you to speak its command word as an action. Once the bottle is closed, the cloud disperses after 10 minutes. A moderate wind (11 to 20 miles per hour) can also disperse the smoke after 1 minute, and a strong wind (21 or more miles per hour) can do so after 1 round.
Boomerang:
Krer Boomerang
Weapon (boomerang), rare, requires attunement
You have a +1bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
Returning: If attuned, on a hit, this weapon magically returns to its wielder's hand.
Strong Willed: If attuned, the wielder has advantage on Wisdom saving throws.
The boomerang is a ranged weapon, and any creature proficient with the javelin is also proficient with this weapon.
On a miss, a boomerang returns to the thrower's hand.
"We seem safe enough down here... for now," Hew says. He seems less distressed then before, but still appears to be quite tired. "Do you wish to keep hunting for a path to the surface? Or shall we rest down here? Nightfall was coming on fast."
[For those curious, here is Meili's new wooden mask, courtesy of AI art generation:]
Yeah, it looks more like a helmet, and I'm not sure how someone could even put this on if it was made of wood, but after about 400 attempts this was night and day better than any of the other results....
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
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Velan and Inete [botting Velan at player's request]:
Velan turns to Inete. "The sinkhole is rough but survivable. We cannot risk staying up here alone. We have to try to jump."
As if trying to confirm the immediacy of Velan's concerns, there is a snarl and a roar from off in the jungle, loud even over the storm. A tree shakes at the edge of your vision and Ninlil reports to Velan that there are two huge creatures now, brawling and heading your direction.
Inete nods, fear in her eyes, and the two of them climb down to the lower level of the sinkhole, and jump.
Velan DEX save: 19
Inete DEX save: 2
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Velan:
Chronal Shift repeat of DEX save for Inete: 12
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Danica and Velan:
The trip down the sinkhole is violent and unsettling. Pressure changes threaten to fill your mouth and ears with mud, and you are smashed against hard objects until you are spilled out onto the hard ground of the lower chamber alongside Danica. Velan manages to brace himself for the impact hitting the rock in a tucked roll and taking 7 bludgeoning damage. Inete comes out in a heap, dashing her head against the stone floor violently.
Time dilates, as Velan manipulates the weave to give Inete another chance. She fares little better this time, as she spills out roughly on the ground... though at least this time she may have avoided a skull fracture. She is nevertheless badly hurt and unconscious.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Mica, Meili and Ran:
Hew is taciturn. "No. I'm not familiar with any of this. (cough) It looks ancient. I'm not nearly that old."
Ran, you pick up the boomerang. It is well balanced and cuts through the air as you move it this way and that. Moving to the bottle, it feels empty and you cannot hear anything inside when you shake it.
Mica only:
Something seems wrong with Hew. He looks like he is struggling to hide the fact that he is shivering and unsteady on his feet.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Mica, Meili and Ran:
Ran shrugs after shaking the bottle.
"Sounds empty, but yeah, guess we should let Velan have a look first," Ran says. Then he tosses the boomerang up in the air and catches it. "Whether this is special or not, it's a good weapon."
He holds it out for the others.
"Want to give it a go? Might really set off the cloak and mask."
Mica, Meili and Ran:
"You did not feel anything?" Meili glanced at Mica, waiting for him to check the thing out.
Should he hesitate, reached out to take the boomerang. Ran was right the first time about the mask and the cloak, it all could be a set after all. "Strange... We did play with similar things back home. It can hurt, but nothing like a sword or a spear. To think this can be a powerful weapon... is interesting." She went silent, getting a feeling of the weapon.
(The above happens only if Mica refuses to take the boomerang)
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Velan and Inete
Danica is pacing back and forth, hands twisting and worrying at the rope, waiting for a reply from Velan before she hears a shift in the downpour and sinkhole above. Looking up, the elf's eyes widen as suddenly the blue and brown form of a half orc rolls out and then a mud covered human falls limply on the stone. Seeing that woman wasn't moving, Danica immediately leaps forward shifting into her Starry Form, the constellation of a Chalice shining at her core. Kneeling at Inete's body, she immediately begins casting the most powerful Cure Wounds that she knew on her before looking to the wizard. "Talk to me Velan, are you okay? Anything broken that needs healing?"
And when she looks at him, a strange flash of starlight transfers over to him as well.
Inete Heals: 16+4= 20
Velan Heals: 5+4= 9
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
Meili, Mica and Ran:
Examining the boomerang, both Mica and Meili get the impression it is a fine, precision weapon. Meili, there is no similar instant attachment to the item as there was with the cloak and mask. Likewise, the stoppered flask feels special but is otherwise unidentifiable to you. Perhaps with more time you might be able to familiarize yourselves with these items.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Danica and Velan:
Bathed in Danica's healing starlight, Inete snaps awake and sits up. She looks over into the abyss that looks next to the rocky ledge and startles, scooting back until she is alongside the shaped stone wall. She clutches her head as she squints around in the dark. Eventually coming to her senses enough to recognize she was healed, she nods at Danica. "Thank you. Do... do you know where we are? What is this place? Where are the others?"
Back on the surface, Ninlil is at the very limit of his range from Velan. Velan receives intermittent connections and updates. Apparently the battle between the two titans is still raging in the jungle above your heads.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Meili, Ran, Mica
Mica gives Hew a sideways look, clearly not buying his answer but does not press the old guide any further. This time.
He takes the boomerang from Ran and turns it over in his hand briefly, testing the weight and feel of the weapon. “The Cap’n would like the moons on this, she is always looking at the stars” He gives it a few swings before handing it over to Meili “You try it too, Ran is right, it may be part of the set.” He looks around at the others “We need to get Hew out of here, he is a might jumpy, and we need to make our way back to the surface."
Mica, Meili and Ran:
Meili accepted the weapon, standing very still for a few moments, but then shook her head, looking both disappointed and relieved. It seemed scary dangerous exciting wonders stopped happening, at least for now. "I don't feel anything. Maybe Velan could say more or maybe one should use the weapon or the bottle to discover their powers."
She tucked the boomerang behind the belt and put the bottle in the backpack. Looked at Hew, then nodded to Mica's words. "Let's return to the opening and check the other direction."
There also was a hope that Ninlil made it to the "chamber" (Meili did not say it out loud but intended to check). For now, she just gave her torch to Hew - the guide could see but looked as if he could use something to hold on - and moved back to the hole in the stone wall.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
The grave-borrowing portion of the team heads back down the hall in the opposite direction with Hew leading the way. When they reach the breach in the wall where it opens into the sinkhole cavity, they spot Danica, Velan and Inete!
[Reunited! No more spoilers!]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Mica, Meili and Ran
Ran looks at the boomerang in the others' hands and smiles.
"If we can find one of those wee zombie goblins we can test it out and see what it does," Ran says.
Then he looks around the room and steps back out into the main passage.
"Guess we go the other way then," Ran says as he starts back down the passage they didn't try.
Meili was so happy to see the others sane and sound, she almost jumped out of the hole in the wall. At the last moment the mask and the cloak - quite an addition to her usual light clothes - got in the way, reminding the girl how she looked right now and Meili had to step aside to take her new outfit off. Then she finally emerged from the darkness of the corridor.
"Thank gods! Are you Ok?" She quickly looked them all over and relaxed a bit, not finding open wounds. "How did you get here? Was there the second collapse?" She listened to the explanation intently and then related their story.
"We did not find the exit yet. But we found something strange here. Some ancient ruins, protected by the people - the ghosts of the people! - who were fighting undead centuries before. The things they showed me," she shuddered remembering the visions, "it was the horror similar to what we have now - necromancy, witches, hoards of undead... They left us a gift, those warriors. Here, look."
The magical items were now shown to others. Meili explained the sudden bonding with her for the cloak and the mask (the abilities Meili felt were mentioned, of course) and the unresponsiveness of the carved boomerang and the corked bottle. "There is a hope we can awake both once we meet undead and try to use it on them. Or maybe Velan can sense something right now?" She looked at Velan hopefully. It was probably a bad time to do such things - the group was buried under rocks and mud, with far more pressing issues than magic identification but she can not let go of such a recent excitement.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Normally he would have given Inete time to make her own decision, but all the risks made him believe Danica suggestion was in fact the best. With this in mind the wizard hurried the acolyte to jump. Mud swallowed their bodies as soon as their feet reached the sink hole, carrying stone and driftwood with them and towards them – or at least Velan thought that was the identity of the solid hitting them. He fell in a tucked roll and saw Zitembe’s granddaughter dashing her head against stone. Without hesitation the Chronurgist expanded his senses, first to the Weave, then to time itself. He reached beyond what was, focused on what could be, bending both into changing reality ever so slightly. It was not enough to save his fellow arcanist, she was still unconscious at the end of the ordeal, but her wound was substantially better.
Danica was alert and before he could call for healing on the follower of Savras, the Druid was already treating her. The hexblood was confused when asked if he was well. In combination of adrenaline and worry he didn’t even notice his own wounds.
“Besides the mud and dirt and thanks to you, I am unhurt now.” He assures Danica, rising to his feet seconds before the other half of their party appears. Meili words bring more than a few questions to his mind. “No second collapse. We were searching for you guys when a pair of huge beasts started to move in your direction.” He turned to druid. “They are two now.” He then reached to Ninlil, asking what she could see. “Danica came here with a rope so this may be our way out. I can try to identify the items if we can stay put for ten minutes.” Velan was relieved to see everyone alive. “What they showed… Was there anything about the place where we need to go?”
Meili did her best to explain everything the group had encountered. Not that she was afraid to forget it any time soon, but the details could still be important for the potential encounters in the other half of the ruins.
"We found a door with a figure on it that looked like this," Meili put on the cloak and mask again. "Looks a bit... overwhelming," she tried not to turn to Hew who was clearly uneasy with the whole ordeal, "and yet, we all felt some benign ... I do not know how to explain, connection? That being was seen as a protector for the healers and medicine folk of this land. I do not know how I knew it but I did. Later we found the room with the sarcophagus in it and the apparition, looking again like this, that ... welcomed us to come closer." Meili was stumbling over the words unsure how to explain that "know for sure without any understanding how". "I followed the invitation," she looked apologetically and sighed. "It felt like the right thing to do."
She could not bring herself to describe the test of mind she had to endure but tried to remember the exact words spoken to her and still burning in her mind. "It is no accident... Our mantle must pass... Darkness rises... Light is extinguished... We must hunt death in the dark... Teach death to fear again... The path is gruelling." Mieli paused and then slowly continued, remembering. "He... the one who spoke first, he was a warrior, a hunter, devoted to the cause - to hunt the undead and the creatures of the night in their own element. To sow fear among the servants of death itself. I was shown who they were fighting with as well. Serpent men with poisonous spears, shadow monsters, and dead sorcerers spreading death magic across the land and raising armies of all kinds of undead."
"Then he left and the alcove with those items opened up. I think it was meant for us to take to continue the fight."
It felt good to fully share the story and let those more knowledgeable think it all over. Meili gave Velan the boomerang and the bottle, tightened the cloak around her and waited (quite curiously) for the items to be identified.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Helping Inete to her feet and attempting to brush some of the mud off, Danica glances over to Velan at his answer and nods, feeling a tad more reassured, if confused. "Thanks to me?" Looking back at the other caster, the elf shook her head, "I've no-"
When suddenly the rest of the Seekers found them. Standing, still in her Starry Form, Danica smiled in relief in seeing them all, but immediately began looking them over, making sure that they weren't injured enough to warrant healing. "Aren't you all a sight for sore eyes." Her own eyes glowing with starlight.
(Medicine/Perception: 18 )
Velan explained for them though and she frowned, glancing upwards as he mentioned two beasts up above now. "We tied two fifty feet lengths of rope together and then tied the end of one rope off on a stable looking tree so should be able to climb back up, though the mud will make it challenging. You couldn't find any other way out the way you had gone?" Gesturing to the hole they had came back through before frowning as Meili answered and then explained what their group had found.
Even with her odd star themed form, one could register the surprise and intrigue on Danica's expression upon hearing what they had encountered and found. "That sounds like it was incredibly risky and dangerous but also rewarding." Resting a hand on Meili's shoulder the elf said with a sigh, "Just glad you're in one piece and don't seem possessed or anything. So far." She shrugged and it was hard to tell if she was joking or not but she did give a questioning glance towards Mica and Ran.
"It doesn't sound like an easy thing, to make death afraid. This hunter expects you personally to be able to do this?" Looking over the other woman in her new garb. "Not that I don't think you're capable, just a bit worried if you got yourself involved in some sort of deal or contract or curse, y'know?" Having heard tales of the Fey before and unsure if other other-worldly creatures had such strange capabilities.
Nym Durnodel - Aspiring Heroes of Faerûn // Danica Amastacia - Red Dead Annihilation
Meili caught Danica's side look and nodded slowly. Then energetically shook her head and took off the mask. "No. There was no deal or contract." She looked every bit like herself (plus a good deal of blood and mud, but they were covering everyone here), with her usual serious expression if with a clear addition of worry now. "I hear your words and understand your concerns, I would worry too. I think. Yes, I was alone in that chamber with the ghosts but it was not a possession either. I know that they have left to finally get their rest." She pressed her hands to her chest pleadingly, still clutching the mask. "I can not prove it but I am sure those things are not cursed either and were the honest gift to us all."
She turned to others. "We all felt it, did we not? As if the warrior on the door was talking to us. Ran, Hew, Mica? You did feel it!" Meili looked at everyone and then lowered her head. "They were not with me there, though. And these two things - the cloak that lets the owner fly sometimes in the darkness and the mask that allows seeing in darkness too - those two things sort of recognized me right away. Not the weapon, however. Or the bottle." She looked up again and repeated confidently. "I am not possessed and I do believe it was the gift, not the curse."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Ran just holds his hands up.
"I haven't the foggiest idea what was in that room, but there was something and it felt like any other judgmental tosser who comes down and slums it in the Dock Ward." Ran says. "I think it just too a shine to Meili."
He then looks back into the cave.
"We only checked out the one direction. There's another tunnel we can check to see if it leads up."
Listening to Meili's detailed description of the carvings, the apparition and her visions, Inete speaks up. "I know this story. You describe Krer N'busa - the king of twilight. It's an old legend. Krer N'busa was said to be a child born of wealth and privilege... a prince in some tales. But he gave up his titles and spent his wealth hiring tutors to teach him magic and to train him to fight. He became a hunter of vampires and other undead monsters... guides and merchants who traveled the hidden roads of the deep jungle were said to leave offerings in his name."
"Long before the traitor Ras Nsi raised his legions of undead and polluted the forest with wights and zombies, Chult in the ancient times was said to have had problems with blood cults ruled by vampires. That you seldom hear of such vampires today is said to be a testament to the work done by Krer N'busa."
"Scholars have questioned whether this had any basis in real history... there is no missing prince or royal who would fit the tale's protagonist. Many assumed it was just an old legend, or perhaps all that remains of the gospels of a half-forgotten god or demigod."
While the others catch up and listen to Meili and Inete recount history, old and new, Velan sets down to ritually identify the items acquired by the other Seekers. After 20 minutes he has successfully identified the bottle and the boomerang.
Bottle:
Eversmoking Bottle
Wondrous Item, uncommon
Smoke leaks from the lead-stoppered mouth of this brass bottle, which weighs 1 pound. When you use an action to remove the stopper, a cloud of thick smoke pours out in a 60-foot radius from the bottle. The cloud's area is heavily obscured. Each minute the bottle remains open and within the cloud, the radius increases by 10 feet until it reaches its maximum radius of 120 feet.
The cloud persists as long as the bottle is open. Closing the bottle requires you to speak its command word as an action. Once the bottle is closed, the cloud disperses after 10 minutes. A moderate wind (11 to 20 miles per hour) can also disperse the smoke after 1 minute, and a strong wind (21 or more miles per hour) can do so after 1 round.
Boomerang:
Krer Boomerang
Weapon (boomerang), rare, requires attunement
You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
Returning: If attuned, on a hit, this weapon magically returns to its wielder's hand.
Strong Willed: If attuned, the wielder has advantage on Wisdom saving throws.
The boomerang is a ranged weapon, and any creature proficient with the javelin is also proficient with this weapon.
On a miss, a boomerang returns to the thrower's hand.
"We seem safe enough down here... for now," Hew says. He seems less distressed then before, but still appears to be quite tired. "Do you wish to keep hunting for a path to the surface? Or shall we rest down here? Nightfall was coming on fast."
[For those curious, here is Meili's new wooden mask, courtesy of AI art generation:]
Yeah, it looks more like a helmet, and I'm not sure how someone could even put this on if it was made of wood, but after about 400 attempts this was night and day better than any of the other results....
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War